About Me

Woof! I'm Olive Oyl and I live at Animal Tracks, the IAR centre in Goa. I meet and greet everyone who comes through the gate. I still can't believe my luck - I was down and out on the streets, but IAR rescued me in the nick of time. Now I’m a real VIP - a Very Important Pooch with her own blog to tell you how it is with us in Goa. Life is great, and thanks to International Animal Rescue and its supporters I'm here to tell the tale!

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Monday, 21 January 2013

Theo's Story - from International Animal Rescue in Goa

Many years ago I
was a stray down on my luck and in desperate need of help. But then I was taken
to Animal Tracks and somehow became one of the lucky few who never had to
leave. Through the years I’ve seen all manner of dogs arrive here, some pure
breeds but mainly lovely mongrels much like myself.

The work carried out by IAR Goa’s human team involves upwards of 200
dogs and numerous cats each and every month throughout the year, some with
ailments and injuries, or simply lost or unwanted, but mainly just passing
through for routine sterilisation and vaccinations.

Recently, from my vantage point as reception greeting supervisor, I
witnessed a visit from a young lady named Monica who was desperately seeking
advice on how to rehome her family dog. Two and a half years earlier cute pup
Theo had been purchased by Monica’s brother as a wedding gift for his new wife.
Although Monica and her brother were both animal lovers, Monica felt uneasy
about his gift of a Labrador pup right from the start.

Theo is no lightweight!

Monica was already actively interested and involved with Mumbai’s
animal rescue organisations. She was fully aware of the horrendous statistics
concerning the huge number of animals in need of care and shelter and also the
unsuitability of certain breed dogs for people’s lifestyles when they develop
beyond the puppy stage. But there was nothing she could do or say, even amongst
a loving family sometimes a young girl’s opinion is often of little or no
consequence. Nevertheless the dog was loved and welcomed by the family, at
least while he was a cute and manageable sized pup.

But right from the onset the hard work involved in keeping him and training,
grooming, and cleaning up after him was left in the main to Monica. But then,
soon after, the sister-in-law became pregnant and unbelievably her doctor
advised her that it was unhealthy for a foetus to have animals around it….how
weird is that? (I often wonder how you humans arrive at such ridiculous
irrational conclusions).

Despite Monica’s protestations, Theo was banished to the family farm
far away in Goa. His care was undertaken by the farm staff and overnight his
life became very different. Separated from Monica Theo pined and could not
understand why he had been sent away. Of course he was fed but, without stimulation
and nurture, Theo grew depressed: every pet's needs go far beyond basic
nutrition.

Each visit from his best friend Monica left them both in distress when
the time came for her to return to the city. Poor Theo suffered from separation
anxiety and became a very unhappy confused dog.

A further two years passed and Theo grew to be a hefty animal with
boundless energy. The situation became even more problematic when his carers
left the job on the farm. Monica realised then that the only option was to find
Theo a new home.

Often there is much interest in adopting a breed dog that’s up for
rehoming, particularly a free and unsterilised one who, if put to stud, who
could be an easy source of income.

Theo was adopted briefly but proved too much of a handful and was soon
rejected by his new owners, which prompted Monica to contact Animal Tracks in
desperation. Through her association with animal welfare Monica was already
aware of the diversity of work done here in Goa by our team.

Bhagat and Theo - together forever!

Of course Animal Tracks cannot morally advocate or condone the
deliberate controlled breeding of pedigree animals, particularly when there are
thousands of gorgeous mutts like myself already born and out there. But of
course all animals are special and precious and young Theo was certainly in
desperate need of some help. This is not the kind of situation we usually get
involved with but we did know of a kind young man who’d adopted a young rescue
puppy recently and given her a lovely home together with another full grown
Labrador that had been abandoned the previous year. Bhagat had experience with
the specific requirements and high maintenance of the breed and was happy to
take Theo to join his family.

Theo had an up to date full vaccination history so no time was lost in
booking him in for the compulsory sterilisation of all dogs and cats that pass
through the rescue centre. The bond between Bhagat and Theo was instant and it
seems we have a happy ending at last for this poor dog that through no fault of
his own had had so much upheaval and sadness.

Visitors to the IAR Goa’s rescue centre and volunteers who come to help
out often ask how it is that the dogs here, who are in the majority street and
feral animals, are so friendly and will walk calmly on a leash and allow their
wounds to be tended with no animosity when their own pet dogs back home are
often much more difficult.

From my informed and experienced mongrel point of view I feel it’s
because the genetics that contribute to the character of us street dogs is
strong and healthy and our high intelligence factor instinctively tells us that
these kind hearted humans are here to help us so it’s good to be cooperative.

A breed dog usually comes into existence through the parents being
introduced deliberately in order to create an aesthetically pleasing litter
that perpetuates the pedigree breed, and of course is also a very lucrative
economic commodity. In the wild, left to nature’s devices, only the brightest,
strongest, fittest dogs succeed in mating with a bitch in season. The dominant
males usually have to compete with others vying for her. This naturally ensures
the strongest genes come to the fore and the weaker traits tend to be bred out
of the line.

Consequently a mongrel or mixed breed is generally healthier and less
susceptible to the hereditary negative characteristics and physiological
problems that are exaggerated by over breeding from a pedigree animal’s limited
gene pool. Pure bred dogs are destined to be prone to breed-related issues,
whether they are good or bad. The intervention and breeding of dogs to
deliberately create the extreme characteristics and physical appearance to
satisfy the lust of man for aesthetic perfection in their eyes has in many
breeds resulted in malformations and hereditary problems.

Naturally selected random cross breeding can inhibit the negative
effects of breed traits because of the return to a larger diversified stronger
and healthier gene pool. All of this just enforces my belief that so called
“high class” in both humans and animals has absolutely nothing to do with
deliberate breeding from a selected parentage.

Indeed studies show that the more a dog resembles a wolf, the longer
the life expectancy and the more healthily viable they are. Whether you humans
refer to my type as mongrels, mutts, strays or pariahs…..it’s a fact that greater
choice in a gene pool results in the recessive negative characteristics and
weaknesses being suppressed by the stronger traits that combine to make us
superior genetically, emotionally, intellectually and physically to most
pedigrees. Humans often use the term mongrel in a derogatory way, but
realistically the name ought to be a canine compliment.

Obviously I’m biased as I myself am a proud mongrel of unknown
parentage but the evidence is out there, we have evolved to the best in the
canine world. So all of you humans who are thinking of buying a dog or cat at
huge cost from a breeder, think on and visit your local shelter and adopt a
rescue animal, it will love you forever, cost you less in vet bills, understand
and be easier to train and be more compatible with your so called higher human
intellect. And as for looks, who wants a perfect specimen that is identical to
the next when each of us is adorable and absolutely unique?

Out for a jog on the beach!

Theo is a soft natured, gentle lumbering boy, but had gained too much
weight with his sedentary lifestyle and was unaccustomed to regular exercise
but is now eagerly undergoing Baghat’s weight loss and fitness regime that
involves a healthy diet and jogging on the beach in the coolness of the early
morning and limitless love and friendship. Theo is undeniably a fine looking
boy, but he’s not without the negative problems associated with his breed. Bhagat knows that Theo will always be high maintenance compared to his mongrel
sister Sally but he loves him unconditionally and for life and that’s all that
any of us can ever hope for.

Theo has already made friends with other dogs he has met at the "gym"

And finally please never buy a cute pedigree puppy or kitten as a spontaneous
gift for your new wife - opt for designer jewellery, not a living creature.
Later if you feel you can offer a secure loving home to an animal for the
duration of its life, adopt from a rescue shelter and give an unwanted or
abandoned dog a second chance in life.

That’s
enough of my preaching for today. I’ll keep you posted on Theo’s progress as
time goes on.